Life in a tropical anchorage

Hi,

So we are still in Tahiti, and all is well.  We've been provisioning like crazy - scary cause the cost of things here, and soon will water up and get fuel.  We are going to leave Tahiti the beginning of next week - if the weather cooperates.

Last weekend we had a big storm here, with sustained winds over 30 knots and big swells that made life in the anchorage very interesting.  Lots of boats dragged their anchors - not us thank god - but even if we didn't move plenty of boats did, and some came real close to us.  Some boats tried to mate, and some were damaged.  Many structures and resorts on shore were extensively damaged - but the big swells were good news for the surfing competition on the south side of the island.

Internet is still unreliable - welcome to the rest of the world I guess.  Last time I was abroad for a long time there was no such animal as the world wide web, so I guess I can't complain.

News from home is mostly passed down like wispy rumors.  Even the BBC is hard to get in, and as I don't speak French - the local radio does us no good.

I've got a couple pictures.

This is the view from our boat.  The island is Moorea, across the reef and about 15 miles away.

Tamsyn and Emma from S/V Gruffalo playing on Madrona yesterday. 

Our favorite beach in Anaho Bay on Nuku Hiva.

When it rained in Anaho Bay - a dry cliff face suddenly sports a roaring 600 foot high waterfall.

That's all the pics for now.  Like I mentioned - the camera is less than reliable at the moment.  So there is a high-pressure system building to our west, and we hope to be sailing west by Monday at the latest.  We will probably make one or two stops in the Society Islands, then maybe one stop in the Cook Islands - probably Palmerston Island, then on to Tonga.  Tonga is largely unspoiled, and has lots of places to explore and be in.  We'd rather be there than the commercialized Society Islands.

The other cruisers here are a great bunch, but the daily happy-hour thing is not our thing at all, and as much as we like some of the other families, we are looking forward to seeing new things and playing on the beaches again.

I'm going to add some additional insulation to the refrigerator tomorrow, and Carrie is sewing our new rain catcher tomorrow.  Friday I pick-up our last propane bottle ($35.00 for 17kg!), and I hope to get some teak lumber at the lumberyard to ultimately make some larger lips on our forward hatch.

So all is well.  Anxious to get moving, but still crossing our T's and dotting our I's.

Owen